Secret Blood
by JasonMorganfan87
Summary: A young missing girl sparks a surprising reaction out of one of the agents. Why? What is his connection with her and how will the others react when they learn it? What will happen once he finds her? Will he be able to overcome those wishing to keep them apart with the help of his team?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS or any of its characters**

 **Secret Blood**

Tim McGee entered the bullpen of NCIS monday morning. He was a bit late. He'd slept through his alarm and hadn't gotten up until about five minutes before he was due to at work, so he was nearly a half hour late.

Tim got to his desk and sighed in relief when he saw that Gibbs wasn't there to blast him for being late. That was short lived, however, when he realized Gibbs things including his coffee were there. The man knew he was late.

"A bit late, huh, Probie," Tony asked with a smirk.

"Shut up, Tony. I overslept. There haven't been any cases, right?" Tim asked hopefully. Maybe if there was no case, Gibbs wouldn't be quite as pissed.

"No, but your ass is still grass. Gibbs is pissed. It probably doesn't help that even the director came down and saw that you weren't here. He didn't seem to thrilled either," Tony said.

Tim groaned as he sat down. It was bad enough when he knew he was going to get screamed at by Gibbs. Now the director was in line too. This was clearly going to be a bad day.

"It will be alright, McGee. Gibbs may be unhappy, but he will get over it. You are not late often," Ziva said.

Tony laughed. "That's true. He's not you."

"Shut up before I find a paperclip," Ziva said with a glare.

Tim snickered and powered his computer up.

"Where the hell have you been, McGee?" Gibbs asked as he strode through the bullpen.

"Sorry, Boss, I overslept. I swear it won't happen again," Tim said.

"And you didn't think to pick up the damned phone," Gibbs asked as he sat down.

Actually, Tim hadn't thought of that. He'd been in a panic when he woke up and all he thought about was getting to work as soon as humanly possible.

"Agent McGee!" a voice boomed from above them.

Tim looked up to see Director Vance leaning over the railing on the next floor. Tim immediately cringed. The man looked more upset than Gibbs. That didn't bode well for him.

Vance crooked a finger at him and then walked back towards his office.

Tim got up and made his way up the stairs towards the director's office.

Gibbs followed. Something told him that Vance's issue with McGee was not about him being a half hour late. That didn't require the director's attention. Whatever it was, Gibbs wasn't going to let his agent face it solo.

Once they were inside Vance's office, Gibbs closed the door behind them and the two agents looked at Vance expectantly.

"Gibbs, I don't recall calling you in here," Vance said firmly.

Gibbs simply shrugged in response, not saying a word.

"Director, I'm sorry I was late. I overslept. I just assured Gibbs that it won't happen again," Tim said.

"McGee, you need to account for your whereabouts since you left here friday," Vance said.

"What?" Tim asked confused.

"Where did you go when you left here and how have you spent the past weekend?" Vance asked.

"I was at home," Tim said slowly, still very confused.

"You didn't leave at all?" Vance asked.

"Not unless you count taking the dog out a couple of times. It was a quiet weekend," Tim said.

"And can anybody besides your germen sheperd account for that?" Vance asked.

"You asking for an alibi here, Leon?" Gibbs asked.

"What's going on?" Tim asked.

"You know a man named Henry Jackson?" Vance asked, of course already knowing the answer.

Tim's eyes went cold the moment he heard the name. "Yeah, I know the son of a bitch."

Gibbs turned to his agent, surprised by the young man's words and his cold tone. He'd never heard Tim talk so coldly and rarely heard him curse someone like that. Whoever this guy was, Tim hated him.

"So now he wants to put me in jail. What is accusing me of?" Tim asked angrily.

"First, tell me when the last time you went to California was," Vance said.

"A eight months ago. I was supposed to go in June, but we had a case that weekend," Tim said bitterly. He'd wanted to go then so badly. He'd practically begged Gibbs to let him off, but the man wouldn't even listen to him. The second he started to ask, Gibbs had jumped down his throat about the dead marine.

Gibbs was pretty sure he knew what weekend his agent was talking about. He'd put in for a three day weekend around the second week of the month, but at the last minute, they'd received a case and he forced McGee to reschedule his plans.

"And if I look into it, I'm not going to find you went this weekend?" Vance asked

"No! Is he saying a broke the court order? What is going on?" Tim asked.

"He's accusing you of kidnapping, McGee?" Vance said.

Dread filled Tim's gut. He would only be accused of kidnapping one person. "When did she disappear?"

"She hasn't been seen since early Saturday," Vance said.

"Who?" Gibbs asked.

"Two days?!" Tim exploded in a rage. "She's been gone for two days and you're just telling me now?!"

"You'd better calm down, Agent McGee," Vance said. He would not be spoken to this way by a subordinate, no matter what the circumstances were.

"Screw you! I had the right to know the second this happened!" Tim screamed.

Gibbs was still in the dark, but he did know that something had had happened. For Tim to actually scream and curse at the director, it had to be almost catastrophic. McGee had the utmost respect for everyone, especially authority figures.

"I was just informed this morning, so as I said, calm down," Vance said.

"Is there anything else I need to know?" Tim asked, still very angry and scared.

"Yes. Lauren Jackson is dead," Vance said.

Tim was shocked to hear that, but he had bigger things to deal with, so he just accepted it for the moment. "Well, I know why I wasn't told that. When?"

"A month ago. She was in a car accident," Vance said.

Tim didn't say another word. He immediately headed for the door.

"Agent McGee, you are not dismissed," Vance said.

"Then arrest me," Tim challenged before walking out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

"What the hell is going on?" Gibbs demanded of Vance. He didn't understand much of what was happening other than that it had basically sent his calmest agent on a rampage.

Vance sighed. "McGee has been accused of kidnapping a fifteen-year-old girl."

"Yeah, I got the kidnapping part, but it's ridiculous. He wouldn't kidnap anyone," Gibbs said.

"He might. I sure would consider it if I were him and so would you. However, given his reaction, I don't think he did it. He's not that good a liar," Vance said. When McGee had first entered his office, he thought he might be guilty, especially since he was over a half hour late this morning, but the younger man's reaction changed things.

"What the hell are you talking about? Why would you say he might do this?" Gibbs asked.

"Ask him, Gibbs. I'd rather not be the one to tell you. Once you get it out of him, get him back up here. I don't think he's guilty, but that he's still a suspect and need has to answer questions. He has no alibi," Vance said.

Gibbs immediately walked out of the room to find his agent.


	2. Chapter 2

Tim was in his apartment furiously packing a bag. He was going to be on the next flight to California. He would take any plane that was going to California and make it to where he had to go from there.

Tim could feel his hands shaking as he packed his bag. He was terrified. She had been gone for two days. As an agent, he knew the statistics for a missing person, especially kids. Who knew what had happened to her? She could be with some psycho or… "No. I can't go there. She's alive."

Tim heard a knock on his door, but he ignored it. He knew it was Gibbs and that the man would come in when he didn't answer. He needed to keep packing so he could get out of there.

Sure enough, Tim heard the door open and close followed by footsteps. He looked up briefly to see Gibbs in the doorway of his bedroom.

"You move fast. Tried to get you before you left the Navy Yard," Gibbs said.

"I needed to move fast. Too much time has already been wasted," Tim said.

"What the hell's going on, McGee?" Gibbs asked.

"Vance didn't tell you?" Tim asked surprised. Vance clearly already knew everything, probably finding out from Jackson or whatever other authorities were involved. He just assumed the man would tell Gibbs.

Gibbs shook his head. "He thought you should."

"Well, I don't have time," Tim said dismissively as he closed his bag and went to leave.

Gibbs pushed him back in the room. "Not happening, Tim."

Tim looked at him with a hard and determined look. "Gibbs, I have the utmost respect for you, but you will not stop me from leaving. I'm on the next flight to California. I will go through you if I have to.

Gibbs knew a threat when he heard one. It shocked him to hear one from McGee of all people, but it also told how desperate he was. He cared a lot for this girl. However, his desperation to find her was messing with his head. It was stupid for him to go to California knowing he's a suspect. Leaving now would just make him more of a suspect. "You're not going anywhere, Tim. I'm not gonna let you land yourself in jail because you didn't think things through."

"I don't care about jail," Tim said as he went to leave again. He was pushed back again, but He immediately stepped forward again, this time violently trying to push himself past Gibbs.

Gibbs grabbed his arm as he tried to get past him and held it in a vise like grip. "Hey! Knock it off. I know you're scared, but getting yourself arrested isn't gonna help!" He was sure by now of at least who this girl was to McGee. He was so terrified of something happening to her that he was willing to attack him to go find her. It was exactly the same way he would've reacted if it were Kelly.

Tim looked back at Gibbs with fear plastered all over his face. "Let me go, Gibbs. I can't live with what you have. I can't lose her."

Well, there was Gibbs' confirmation. This girl was McGee's daughter. "I won't let that happen. Now calm down and talk to me and I will help you find her."

Once Gibbs let him go, a defeated Tim walked back to the bed and sat down, dropping his bag to the floor. "I...I met a girl named Lauren when I was nineteen. If it weren't for Chloe, I'd say she was the worst thing that ever happened to me. She found out she was pregnant with our daughter less than a year later."

"You were still a kid," Gibbs commented.

Tim nodded. "I took to parenthood quickly though. I loved my daughter. She's the only reason I stayed with Lauren so long. We split up when she was five. That was when my life plummeted. Lauren was really spiteful and she came from money and influence."

"She fought you in court and won," Gibbs guessed.

"More like slaughtered me. When they were done with me, I was barely allotted a couple of times a year for visitation," Tim said bitterly. He hated that family for what they'd done to him and his daughter. They'd virtually cost him the most important thing in his life.

Gibbs was pissed off on his agents behalf. Despite never having witnessed any interaction, he knew McGee had been a good father. The person he was could offer any kid something great. He didn't deserve to have that robbed from him. "This Henry Jackson guy the one who made this happen?"

Tim nodded. "He's Lauren's father and an influential lawyer. He knows a lot of judges and made it happen."

"So in June when you planned to take that weekend, you were going to see your kid," Gibbs said.

Tim nodded again.

"I'm sorry, McGee. I wouldn't have stopped you if I knew," Gibbs said. He never would've stopped McGee from going to see his daughter, case or not. He knew how important that it was. If they didn't find her, that was one more time McGee could've seen his daughter.

"I tried to tell you, but you were pissed at me for even thinking of leaving in the middle of a case. You wouldn't listen to me. Lauren of course wouldn't let me reschedule. I haven't seen Chloe since Christmas," Tim said sadly.

"You told her it was my fault, right?" Gibbs asked, hoping his relationship with his daughter hadn't suffered because of him.

"It didn't matter to her. She barely talks to me," Tim said. His ex and her family had taken parental alienation to a whole new level. They'd disparaged him thoroughly to his daughter. The loving relationship he had with his daughter died not long after they'd taken her from him. It certainly didn't help that he wasn't around very often.

Gibbs hissed angrily. He was going to make Jackson pay for this after he got McGee's kid back for him. And he didn't mean just finding her. He was going to find a way to make sure Tim walked away with custody.

"Boss, you have to let me go. I have to go look for her," Tim said.

Gibbs shook his head. "You gotta play this smart. Going to California when you're a suspect isn't going to help. What if Jackson is behind this, trying to lure you there so he can pin it on you?"

Tim hadn't even thought about that. He was too worried about his daughter's disappearance to think it might be a trick. It was something the bastard would do. 'You think he's behind this?"

"I don't know, but it's a possibility. Either way, you can't leave DC now," Gibbs said.

"Well, I have to do something. I'm her father. I have to find her before something terrible happens. Whether she was kidnapped or ran away, she's in trouble," Tim said worriedly.

"We will find her. We will do it the same way we solve every other case. Now come on. We're gonna go back to NCIS," Gibbs said.

Tim sighed and stood up. Not having much other choice, he followed Gibbs out of the room.


	3. Chapter 3

Tony and Ziva bot. h kept looking at the elevator waiting for Gibbs and McGee to come back. They'd both seen McGee come running down the stairs after his meeting with Vance and go directly to the elevator. Gibbs followed a couple of minutes later. He asked where McGee had gone and left when Tony told him he'd gotten on the elevator.

"Where do you think they went?" Ziva asked.

Tony shrugged. "Something's up. Vance did not call McGee to his office just because he was a little late. The most he would've done is give him a little lecture out here. Then when he got out, he ran out of here scared." He'd seen the look on his friend's face. He'd never seen him that terrified before. Something happened.

Just then, Tony saw Vance come down from the corner of his eye. He immediately turned to the man. "Director?"

"They come back yet?" Vance asked.

"No, sir. What exactly is going on? McGee left looking scared. He liked kind of pissed off too, but mostly afraid," Tony said.

Vance sighed. "He's got a right to be scared. His daughter is missing."

Tony's mouth dropped open in shock and Ziva appeared wide-eyed. They were both convinced that the director either went insane or was getting drunk in his office. "Director, McGee doesn't have a daughter," Tony said.

"He does, Agent DiNozzo. He simply chose not to inform you. He has a fifteen-year-old daughter who lived with her mother and now her grandfather in California. She went missing two days ago," Vance explained.

"That would explain why he left like he did," Ziva said. She was still shocked at the thought of McGee having a child, but his behavior made sense now. She was not a parent, but she could guess that she would react similarly if she were and her child went missing.

Just then, Gibbs and Tim walked off the elevator and headed their way. Tim still looked afraid and very nervous.

"Special Agent McGee, where did you go?" Vance asked.

"Home, with the intention of getting a flight to California. Gibbs convinced me that wasn't the best idea," Tim said.

"McGee, you have a kid?" Tony asked still shocked.

Tim nodded. "Yes, I have a teenaged daughter. Her name's Chloe," Tim said.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Ziva wondered.

"Because you would've asked questions that I didn't want to answer. I was pretty much cut out of her life a long time ago and I didn't want to explain that," Tim said. He loved his daughter very much and a part of him wanted everyone he encountered to know about her, but keeping it a secret was easier and would hurt a lot less. He wouldn't have to explain what no one knew about.

"Why?" Ziva asked outraged. McGee was a remarkable man. It was terrible that he would be ostracized from his child's life. She was sure he was an excellent father.

"Later. Come with me. We still need to talk," Vance said before heading up towards his office.

"Go. I'll meet you up there," Gibbs told Tim.

Tim nodded and headed upstairs.

"We're looking for her, right, Boss?" Tony asked.

"Well, yeah, DiNozzo," Gibbs said as if it were obvious. "Gonna have to do it quietly. No way is Vance going to let us work this case officially. McGee being a suspect doesn't help that."

"Why is he a suspect?" Ziva asked.

"He doesn't have legal custody," Tony said, understanding the logic immediately. But he also knew that if McGee had done it, he wouldn't be there with them right now. He would've disappeared.

"We'll get into more details on what happened after we're done with Vance. In the meantime, I want you to look into Henry Jackson. He's a rich lawyer and he bought off the custody judge. Find a way to prove that or anything else shady about him," Gibbs said.

A cold and infuriated look appeared on Tony's face. He was pissed that someone had taken his friend's daughter away and did so underhandedly. He would do what he had to get her back to him. "On it, Boss."

Gibbs immediately went upstairs after Vance and Tim.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Tim and Gibbs were seated in front of Vance's desk in his office. Tim, needless to say, was very antsy. He wanted to get out of there so he could find his little girl. He kept imagining all kinds of awful things that could be happening to her.

"I spoke with Jackson for an hour this morning. He refuses to consider any possibility but that you're responsible, McGee," Vance said.

"I'm not surprised. He hates my guts and takes great pleasure in controlling my entire relationship with my daughter. I think the only reason he didn't find someway to cut me out completely is so that he can gloat about it every time I go to see her. That and so I can see how much they taught her to hate me," Tim said irritably. He hated the Jacksons for that. He didn't blame Chloe for how she felt about him. He was barely in her life. He wasn't a father to her. He wasn't really allowed to be. He was just a guy who showed up a few times a year. The rest of the time, she had her mother and her family around to tell her how horrible he was.

"He was immediately calling for your arrest,"Vance said.

"No proof," Gibbs said.

"Which was my point. In fact, I spoke with the local LEOs right after you left earlier. "They're not even convinced that it was a kidnapping. She left Saturday morning on her own and just didn't come back. They think she may have run away. Is that possible, McGee?" Vance asked.

"i don't know. I don't really know much on the state of her relationship with that family. She barely speaks to me and is usually pretty hostile when she does," Tim said sadly. He hated how things were with Chloe. They had pretty much no relationship and it wasn't right. Yes, she was a teenager and most teenagers hated their parents to some degree, but not like this.

"I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but could she have run away at the prospect of you filing for custody?" Vance asked.

"That's unlikely. I'd lose any such case and she would know that," Tim said. He still fully intended to file, but he doubted he'd win against Jackson. He should, but Jackson fought dirty.

Gibbs looked at his agent unhappily. The man was clearly defeated. Gibbs would make sure to fix that. Jackson was going to pay for taking McGee's kid and his hope.

"Well, one way or another, we need to try to eliminate you as a suspect. We need to search your apartment," Vance said

Normally, Tim would agree to that since he had nothing to hide, but not with Jackson involved. Gibbs was right when he said the bastard might be setting him up. "Sorry, but not whout a warrant. Henry Jackson wants me to fry for this and I would not put taking Chloe himself and framing me for it past him."You sound a little paranoid, McGee," Vance said.

Tim stood up from his chair. "With due respect, we can talk paranoia when someone bribes a judge to take your kid away. Am I free to go now, sir?"

"You need to stay out of this investigation, all of you do," Vance said firmly,

Tim said nothing as he left, but there was no way that was going to happen.


	4. Chapter 4

The team was in the conference room, as no one could hear them working on this case. Tim placed a photo in the middle of the table of his daughter so everyone would know who they were looking for.

Ziva picked the photo up and looked at it. The girl had blond hair that went just beyond her shoulders and green eyes. "She is beautiful, McGee."

Tim smiled slightly. "Thanks."

Tony looked at the picture of Ziva's shoulders. He could definitely see that this kid was McGee's. She looked a lot like him. About the only difference was her hair color. While he had dirty blond hair, his daughter's was much lighter.

"What is she like?" Ziva wondered.

"I'd say like my sister, which is amazing because they haven't seen each other since she was five. But she's got Sarah's temper and ability to hold a grudge. She can be very hostile if she doesn't like you," Tim said. That was what he'd gathered from the few times he was aloud to see her. He hated it, but he truly didn't know her that well. He knew how she was with him when he was visiting and that usually pretty irritable and tense.

"Let's focus on finding her. Vance says the local LEOs aren't sure this was a kidnapping. She may have run away." Gibbs said.

"She have any problems with the family she lives with?" Tony asked.

"I couldn't say," Tim said quietly. He felt like such a horrible parent. He knew it wasn't like that, that it wasn't his fault, but these were questions a father should be able to answer. It wasn't right that he couldn't. "As far as I know though, she's never run away before. She did just lose her mother a month ago though, so she's probably having a hard time. Plus, there's her grandfather who is a cold bastard. I doubt he's really respectful of what she's going through. He reminds me a bit of my father, only my father's not quite as heartless. He's the type that would tell her to get over it and move on."

"You think he'd be that callous when his daughter just died?" Tony asked.

"I really don't know, Tony. All I've witnessed from him cruelty and ruthlessness. If there's anything else there, I've never seen it."

"Does she have a boyfriend. If you are right, perhaps she's laying low with him to get away from her grandfather for a bit," Ziva said.

The color drained from Tim's face almost immediately. No father wanted to hear the 'B' word when it came to his teenaged daughter. The very thought of some guy with his little girl made him crazy. As if he wasn't going crazy enough as it was. "B...boyfriend. No way!"

"She is fifteen. It is the right age. A lot of girls are even younger," Ziva said.

"Ziva, stop before he passes out," Gibbs said. He knew very well that this was the kind of thing that either gave a father a heart attack or sent him out with a gun. He knew very well that if Kelly had lived long enough to get interested in boys, he would've seriously considered murder.

"What about this Jackson guy. The way you've described him, McGee, I'm wondering if he might be behind it," Tony said.

"Yeah, he's definitely capable of it. He'd do it just to frame me. I don't know if he did or not. All I know is my kid is out there, possibly alone and in serious danger," Tim said stressed.

"She have a cellphone?" Gibbs asked. If she did, they could try to track her that way.

"I'm sure, but I don't have the number. I'm only allowed to talk to her through the landline on designated days and times. Usually even then something 'comes up' so I can't. I haven't actually spoken to her in two months," Tim said.

"We can track Jackson and see if there's any proof that he's involved. We'll check his phone records,"Tony said.

"I'll get on it," Tim said, automatically assuming he would be doing this task. He was the one that usually handled this type of thing.

"No, you won't. You can't be involved," Gibbs said.

"I have to be! My daughter is missing!" Tim exclaimed.

"Yeah, exactly, and you're a suspect. You've also made your contempt for Jackson very clear. There can't be any trace of you around this or you could be accused manipulating the evidence. You won't get her back if that happens," Gibbs said.

Tim snorted. "I"m not gonna get her back anyway, Boss. I want to bring her home. Once that happens, I will fight, but I'll lose."

"You cannot think like that, McGee," Ziva said.

"Yes, I can because it's already happened once. I need to go for a walk," Tim said before getting up and leaving the room.

"He holds no hope that he'll get her back with him," Tony said in disbelief. His friend had looked completely broken. He'd never seen him like that before. McGee had always fought for what he wanted. Getting on the team was a good example. He'd worked hard to impress Gibbs enough to let him on the team. Hell, he'd gotten on the ground to upgrade their computers when it was far from his responsibility. But with this Jackson guy, he was defeated.

"Yeah," Gibbs said. He hated the way McGee was right now. Usually he'd smack him upside the head, but he didn't think it would work this time. The only way to give McGee hope now was to help him win. "Keep looking into Jackson and the custody case. McGee will not get his kid back only to have to give her up to that son of a bitch."

"Got it, Boss," Tony said

"Ziva, look into Jackson's phone records and his financials. We need to know if he's at all involved in this," Gibbs said. That was about as much as they could do right now without alerting Vance that they were involved.

"Yes, Gibbs," Ziva said.

With that, they all left the room.


	5. Chapter 5

Ziva walked into the bullpen the next morning and found Tony at his desk in the same clothes he was wearing the day before. "Tony, have you even gone home?"

"Nope," was Tony's only reply.

"Gibbs sent us home at eight. Staying would only arise Vance's suspicions. Why did you not leave?" Ziva asked as went to her desk and settled in.

"I avoided Vance, made sure he didn't see me when he came down. I'm trying to dig up dirt on this Jackson bastard so that when we find McGee's kid, he can take her home," Tony said.

"We all want that, but you should not be exhausting yourself. It will not help," Ziva said.

Tony looked up at her. "Did you see his face, Ziva? Jackson completely crushed him. He barely has any fight in him, and he has no hope that it will make a difference."

"I know," Ziva said quietly. She'd hated seeing McGee like that. The sheer hopelessness in his voice and on his face made her both sad and angry. She would rip Jackson apart if she ever met him.

"He's never been like that Ziva, not even in the beginning. He's always had fight in him. Every time I'd pull a prank, he took and kept going. He never gave up. He didn't let anything I did keep him from what he wanted," Tony said. Seeing his friend so destroyed broke his heart. He had to find a way to fix it. He would not let Tim continue to think that a guy like Jackson could beat him. He would make sure his friend came up on top.

"No. I've been trying to get a look at the custody case, but all that stuff is sealed," Tony said.

"Yes, family court cases generally. Perhaps you should look into other cases of his. I am sure this is not the only one where he fought dirty.

"That's what I'm doing now. It's all a bunch of legal crap that I don't understand though," Tony said before looking back at his screen and checking what had to be the tenth case so far. It was all standard. It was a criminal case and there wasn't even a hint of impropriety. Then Tony noticed something. "Holy crap."

"Did you find something?" Ziva asked.

"No. Well, not what I was looking for, but it could lead to something. I have to go," Tony said before jumping up and heading for the elevator.

Just as Tony left, Vance came down. "Is McGee here yet?"

Ziva looked over at him. "No, not yet. I am not sure he even will be. I would not want to work if my child was missing."

"Well, either way, you're going to wanna warn him. Henry Jackson is coming to DC. You can bet he's going after McGee," Vance said.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Tony walked down to the legal department of NCIS and surveyed the room. He found who he was looking for, a man named Peter Thomas and approached his desk. "Thomas, I need a word."

"What is it?" the man asked without even looking up from his computer.

"Privately," Tony asked.

"Too busy. Whatever you have to say will either have to be said here and now or wait until a better time," Thomas said.

"Fine. What made you take a step down to NCIS after working beside Henry Jackson?" Tony asked

Thomas looked up at him for a minute before standing up. "Privately."

Tony nodded and led the way to the elevator. Once they were both inside, he pulled a Gibbs and hit the emergency switch.

"How'd you know?" Thomas asked.

"Your name was mentioned in a case I looked up. How long did you work with him?" Tony asked.

"Three years," Thomas said.

"Why'd you stop. You worked with a well-known lawyer in California and then came to work at NCIS on a government salary," Tony said in disbelief. It made no sense for Thomas to take a step down like that. He had to have made ten times the amount he was making now with Jackson.

Thomas sighed. "Look, if you're looking into Henry, you probably already know he's a piece of scum, both professionally and personally. NCIS might have been a step down on the career ladder, but at least I can sleep at night knowing my soul is still intact for the most part."

"What kinds of things has he done?" Tony asked.

"You know better than that DiNozzo. He may not be my client, but it would certainly affect my clients and violate their confidentiality," Thomas said.

"Jackson has and is still going after a friend of mine," Tony said.

"I know. I'd heard of Timothy McGee before he came here. It was long before I met him, but Henry gloated about what he did to him. Yes, he bribed a judge and told me all about it, but before you go there, there's no proof of it, so my statements can't help you," Thomas said.

"No, but you can personally. McGee needs a good attorney. He needs someone to help him get his kid back and he needs that person to be able to anticipate Jackson's tactics. You worked with him for three years," Tony said. Thomas was McGee's best shot. He knew exactly what Jackson was capable of. He'd seen it personally.

Thomas was more than a little hesitant. "You want me to go up against Henry. He's never lost a case."

"He's never been up against one of his former associates either, at least not to my knowledge. You know how he things. Play his game." Tony said.

"Fight dirty. I stopped working with Henry to avoid that," Thomas said.

"You said you did it so you could sleep at night How will you sleep if an innocent girl is forced to live with this guy for three more years because you didn't help?" Tony asked.

Thomas was still a bit hesitant, but he eventually nodded. "Okay, fill me in."


	6. Chapter 6

Tim was at home on his computer. He'd been in that same exact spot since he got home the night before. He'd been working on trying to find his daughter, despite Gibbs ordering him to stay out of it. There was just no way that would happen. He would find his little girl.

Just then there was a knock at the door. Tim didn't get up to answer. He just yelled for whoever it was to come in. He was pretty sure it was Gibbs anyway.

He of course turned out to be right. He heard his boss' voice shortly after the man came in.

"Why aren't you at NCIS? Ziva said she called you and told you about Jackson," Gibbs said.

"She did," Tim said. Ziva had called him hours ago to inform him that Jackson was on his way to DC and that he should come in.

"Then why the hell are you still here?" Gibbs demanded to know.

"Because I don't see the point. I already know what will happen. He's going to show up, demand I tell him where Chloe is, and then he'll order Vance to arrest me. Unless he comes with the FBI or something and then he'll demand they do it. My presence would be counter productive. I could be looking for my daughter in that time," Tim said before turning back to his computer.

"What are you doing?" Gibbs asked with narrowed eyes.

"I"m checking Chloe's cellphone records. Either she or whoever took her pulled out the GPS chip, but I can still get into her call log with the number. I can find out who she talked to before and after she disappeared." Tim explained.

"You said you didn't have her number," Gibbs said.

"I didn't. I got it through by going through Jackson's finances. I found out who his cell provider and hacked in. I managed to get the numbers he had on his plan," Tim said.

"Damn it, I told you not to get involved. You are a suspect! Jackson finds out you did this, he's going to use it against you!" Gibbs yelled.

"I don't care. I don't care what Henry Jackson does to me. The only thing that matters to me is bringing my daughter home safe," Tim said.

"We will bring her home, McGee. We are working hard to find her. Just trust us to do it and stop putting your neck at risk," Gibbs said.

Tim glared at him. "Would you do that if your daughter was alive and missing?"

Gibbs stiffened and his eyes darkened. It was always hard when his daughter was mentioned. Her loss was a pain that would never go away. And McGee was right. If he found out she was alive somewhere, nothing would stop him from personally investigating.

Tim felt bad the second the words left his lips. It was a really cheap shot. He was just scared and lashed out. "I'm sorry."

"Rule six, and you're right. I wouldn't do it. I get it, McGee. I get the desperate need to save your child. But you screw this up and you're gonna end up losing her if you do find her. You could end up going down for something you didn't do and that piece of crap will end up with your kid," Gibbs said.

"He's gonna end up with her anyway," Tim said bitterly.

"I'd like to smack you right now. Stop giving up!" Gibbs ordered.

"I'm not. I will fight him because I wouldn't be a good father if I didn't, but I know that I will lose. He's got too much influence," Tim said.

"Hey, listen to me! You will get your kid back. I promise you that," Gibbs said firmly. He would do whatever he had to to help McGee get custody. It would happen.

"You can't promise that."

"Just did. Let's go. We're going to NCIS,' Gibbs said firmly.

Tim opened his mouth to object.

"Not a request, McGee," Gibbs said.

Tim sighed in defeat. "Give me twenty minutes to shower and change."

"Ten," he said.

"Yes, Boss," Tim said before getting up and heading out of the room.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Tim and Gibbs stood in Vance's office waiting on Jackson. The man was on his way up now with an escort.

"Gibbs, you will let me handle this, understood?" Vance asked.

"Don't think so, Leon. I"m not gonna let this son of a bitch tear my agent apart," Gibbs said firmly.

"Gibbs…"

Just then there was a knock at the door.

Vance sighed. "Come in."

The door opened and a man with balding dark brown hair entered the room with a large scowl on his face.

Vance came around to greet the man. "Mr. Jackson, I'm Director Vance."

He shook his hand and then glared at Tim. "Why isn't he in a cell?"

"Mr. Jackson, we have no evidence suggesting that Agent McGee is responsible for your granddaughter's disappearance," Vance said.

"You searched his apartment?" Henry asked.

"No. You're a very prominent lawyer, Mr Jackson. You should know that we cannot search someone's apartment without a warrant or permission. We have neither," Vance said, trying to keep as professional as possible.

Henry finally addressed Tim. "You refused to let them search. Sounds like you're guilty to me. Where's my granddaughter?"

Gibbs was the one to answer. "Shouldn't you know? She was in your house. You were supposed to be looking out for her. Guess you failed there, Jackson."

"Who the hell are you?" Henry asked.

"This is Special Agent Gibbs, Agent McGee's direct supervisor," Vance said.

"Well, Gibbs, maybe you should mind your own business," Henry said with a sneer.

"My man, my business," Gibbs said simply.

Henry glared at Tim once more. "You gonna hide behind him? You're a pathetic piece of garbage."

"Screw you. I'm apparently not so pathetic that you thought you could beat me legally. You had to bribe a judge to take my daughter from me. And you couldn't even protect her. She's gone because of you. Either she was kidnapped right from under your nose or she ran away, choosing to be as far away from you as possible," Tim said with disdain.

"How dare you, you bastard? That girl loves me. She feels no need to get away from me. You maybe. She can't stand you. She's always ecstatic when your visits are finally over and even told me that she wished I'd make sure she didn't have to see you at all," Henry goaded.

Tim couldn't help but flinch. He didn't know if the last part was true, but he could see it being true. Chloe didn't seem to have much tolerance for him thanks to her father and grandfather.

"I want him arrested. He kidnapped my granddaughter," Henry said to Vance.

"Can't kidnap what's already yours," a new voice said.

They all turned around to see two men at the door. Gibbs, Vance, and Tim of course recognized Tony, and the other man as one of the guys from legal.

"DiNozzo, where the hell have you been?" Gibbs demanded to know. Ziva had told him when he got there this morning that Tony had ran out of the bullpen to chase a lead. He hadn't been seen since.

"Sorry, Boss. I was working on getting us some help," Tony said.

"This is a private meeting, DiNozzo. The two of you need to leave," Vance said firmly.

"With all due respect, Director, Agent McGee is entitled to a lawyer. Peter Thomas, Agent McGee. I've seen you around, but we were never actually introduced," Thomas said as put out his hand.

Tim shook it, very confused on what was going on. Was he offering to be his lawyer.

"Agent DiNozzo has asked me to represent you and I've agreed. Sorry I'm late to this meeting. I had a lot to catch up on and then I went right to work trying to sort this out. I hope you don't mind," Thomas said.

Henry looked pissed as he stared at Thomas. "What the hell are you doing, Peter?"

Thomas ignored him. "Has anything happened that I need to be aware of?"

Tim's head was still kind of spinning from his self-proclaimed lawyer's presence, but he managed to come to reality. "Uh, not really. Just a little name calling and accusation."

"Accusations?"

"I was accused of kidnapping," Tim said.

"Baseless accusations if they're pertaining to your daughter. If anyone is guilty of kidnapping, it's Mr. Jackson," Thomas said as he turned to the man.

Henry glared angrily at him. "That's ridiculous. I have custody."

"We both know that's not true. Your daughter had custody. As his rights were never stripped, custody immediately transferred to Agent McGee when she died. You know that as a lawyer and you proved it by scheduling a hearing to be given custody. A hearing you didn't inform my client about," Thomas said.

Tim was in shock. He had custody? That was unbelievable to him. He hadn't had any real rights to his daughter in ten years. When she came home, at least for a little while, he had the right to take her home. He could finally spend time alone with his daughter for more than a few hours.

"You son of a bitch! You worked for me! You cannot turn against me!" Henry yelled angrily.

Thomas' only reply was to take out a court order and hand it to the man. "That's an order demanding you turn the child over to Agent McGee right now. If you don't, and we learn you have her, you will be arrested."

"You're gonna pay for this, Peter," Henry said before storming out of the room.

Tim looked at his new lawyer shocked. "This is true? I have custody?" He almost felt like he'd imagined what just happened. It had all happened so fast and had been completely unexpected. Not to mention that it seemed too good to be true.

"For the moment. That's why he hid your ex's death from you. He knew you'd figure it out as soon as you retains counsel. He planned to get a judge to grant him custody before you ever learned his need for it. I doubt you'll see it that way, but this situation is a blessing in disguise," Thomas said.

"You're right, I won't. My daughter is missing," Tim said.

"Right. Let's talk elsewhere. This is far from over and we need to figure out the next move," Thomas said.

"Can't it wait. I need to find my daughter," Tim said He was eternally grateful to both Thomas and Tony. He would have to find some way to repay Tony for this when it was all over.

"No. Henry isn't going to wait for her to be found and we can't either," Thomas said.

"Go, McGee. We will keep up the search," Gibbs said.

Reluctantly, Tim followed Thomas out of the room.


	7. Chapter 7

Gibbs walked through the bullpen with Tony trailing behind him. Ziva was there seated at her desk. "Tony, get on the phone with Sacramento PD and find out where they are in the investigation. Get the name of Chloe's school and any friends numbers she might have." He knew that Vance had spoken with them, but it didn't seem like they gave out any leads.

"I thought we could not use those methods," Ziva said, having heard him

"McGee's not a suspect anymore. We were misled. McGee has custody right now. The case is ours," Gibbs explained as he made it to his desk

"McGee has custody? That is great," Ziva said. She'd seen how depressed McGee was, knowing he did not have any legal rights over his daughter and believing he never would. She had wanted to personally murder Jackson.

"He has it for now. He's still got a major fight on his hands," Gibbs said.

"Yeah, but at least when we find her, he can take her home," Tony said.

"Where is he?" Ziva asked.

"With his new lawyer," Tony answered.

"Nice job with that, DiNozzo. What's Thomas' connection with Jackson anyway," Gibbs asked. He'd seen and heard Jackson's reaction to Thomas. They knew each other.

"He worked for him. I was looking up Jackson's old cases and found Thomas' name on one of them," Tony said.

"He went from working for a powerful lawyer like Jackson to working for the government?" Ziva asked surprised. Thomas couldn't be making even a fourth of what he made while working for Jackson. Had Jackson fired him or something?

"He says that he didn't wanna be the kind of lawyer Jackson is. He didn't wanna wake up one day and find he no longer had a heart. I believe him. The way he looked and spoke made it clear that he wanted nothing to do with Jackson and his tactics. However, I was able to convince him to go back to those tactics briefly to help McGee win," Tony said.

"You are thinking that if anyone can beat Jackson, it is someone who knows how he operates," Ziva realized.

"Well, if it's going to at all matter, we need to find McGee's daughter. Make that call, DiNozzo. Ziva, you still looking into Jackson's financials?"

"Yes, Gibbs, but there is no evidence to suggest he is responsible," Ziva said.

"I don't think he is anymore anyway. This worked against him, not for him," Gibbs said thinking of what Thomas had told them. Jackson's plan was to keep his daughter's death a secret until he could manipulate or bribe another judge into giving him custody. The kid's disappearance only sabotaged that. I want you to keep an eye on his finances though. He's pissed and will probably try something to screw McGee. I wanna know about it should he move a large amount of money," Gibbs said. Bribing people seemed to be a specialty of Jackson's and he wanted to make sure he had the evidence if the man tried.

"Yes, Gibbs," Ziva said before getting right to work.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Tim was sitting in the conference room with his new lawyer. He'd finally managed to wrap his head around what had just happened in Vance's office. For the moment, he had custody of his daughter. Although, it didn't matter too much, as he had no idea where she was right now.

"Okay, I realize this is probably the worst timing in the world for you, but we have to plan our next move. Henry is going to act quickly to try to overturn your custody."

"You use his first name and he said you worked for him," Tim said as he remembered the conversation that went on earlier.

"Yes, I did. I worked for him for three years," Thomas told him.

"Are you still working for him?" Tim asked as it occurred to him that maybe Jackson put him up to all this to sabotage him. Yes, he'd seemed pissed when he found out Thomas would be his lawyer, but Jackson was a good liar. He wouldn't put this past him.

"No, I don't. I get why you'd be suspicious, but I'm here for you, not him. I stopped working for Henry Jackson because I knew what he was like and I didn't want to be like him. McGee, I knew about you years before actually seeing you here. Henry bragged about what he did to you, and you were far from the first or last he screwed over. I didn't wanna be like that, so I left," Thomas explained.

Tim felt that Thomas was telling him the truth. He could hear honesty and some guilt in his voice, probably from staying for as long as he did. "But you're willing to go against him?"

"Well, I was hesitant because to win against Henry Jackson means having to stoop to his level, but I wouldn't be able to live with it if I condemned an innocent girl to him any longer than necessary. Yes, I am willing to go against him. It won't be easy though. You're looking at a brutal fight here," Thomas warned.

"Yeah, I know. I know his tactics just as well as you do," Tim said.

"Great. So first, we need to make sure Henry doesn't pull a fast one. Now he had a hearing scheduled for next week to try to snake legal custody away from you without you even realizing you had it," Thomas said.

"I'm not surprised," Tim said.

"I've already filed a petition for a stay of all proceedings until your daughter is located. I'm due in court for it in three hours," Thomas said.

Tim nodded. "Okay."

"I don't intend for it to be a problem. Any judge will see that a child is currently missing and have no problems delaying the proceedings," Thomas said.

"It won't be that simple. Jackson will fight it," Tim said. Did this guy really think it would be so simple. He was supposed to have worked with Jackson. He should know that the man would fight hard against any action they took.

"Not if his notification of the petition gets 'lost'. It'll be sort of how your summons for court next week got lost," Thomas said with a smirk.

"That's pretty underhanded," Tim commented

"Are you okay with that? You're my client, so this only goes how you want it to," Thomas said.

Tim thought about it. If it were anyone else or about anything else, he wouldn't be at all okay with it. But this was about keeping custody of his daughter, and with the tactics Thomas was willing to use, he had a glimmer of hope that he could win. And it wasn't like he would have anything to feel bad about. Jackson was a scumbag who pretty much stole his child from him. It would be karma for him to be subjected to his own tactics. "Yes. I want my daughter back. I don't care what I have to do to make that happen."

Xxxxxxxxxxx

A few hours later, Tim was at his desk searching for his daughter. He was on the phone calling the list of people his daughter spoke to the week before she disappeared. He wasn't getting far. Most of the parents he'd spoken to had no idea. The woman on the other end of the phone now was no exception. "Okay, thanks for talking to me."

"We will find her, McGee," Ziva promised as she watched him hang up.

"Tony, meanwhile, was on the phone with one of Chloe's friends and he seemed really annoyed. "Kid, just put your damn parents on the phone. Or what? Or I will come over there and haul your ass in for interfering with a federal investigation!"

Despite the situation, Ziva couldn't help but smirk at the trouble her partner was facing. It wasn't often that Tony was the one being annoyed.

Tony took the phone away from his ear for a minute and looked at Tim. "McGee, I pity you on so many levels. I'm never having children," he said before bringing the phone back to his ear. "Yes, hi, Mr. Lee, my name is Special Agent DiNozzo. I'm with NCIS. I'm calling about a friend of your son's. She's been missing for a couple of days now. Her name's Chloe McGee. What? Oh, man, if he gets there before us, do not let him leave with her."

Tim immediately became both hopeful and alarmed by Tony's statement. He immediately got up and went over to his desk, begging with his eyes for an explanation.

"No, he does not. custody reverted back to her father when her mother died. Do not let him take her. In fact, call the police if he tries," Tony said before hanging up.

"Where is she?" Tim demanded to know.

"Bowie Maryland. One of her classmates from her boarding school, Ryan Lee, was hiding her. His parents were out of town. The kid was supposed to be spending the week with a friend, but the parents came home early and found the two kids shacking up in their house," Tony said.

Tim's face blanched from the words Tony chose. Images of his little girl being taken advantage of by some little punk immediately hit his brain.

"Oh, sorry man, bad choice of words. I didn't mean that in that way. Anyway, the parents apparently probed the two kids and got Jackson's number. They called him to go get her," Tony explained.

Tim rushed back to his desk and grabbed his jacket before running to the elevator.

Gibbs got up too. "You two stay here. No need for all of us since there's no danger."

Tony and Ziva both nodded and watching him leave.


	8. Chapter 8

Tim was seriously nervous as he sat in the passenger seat of Gibbs' car as the man drove. Gibbs was driving pretty fast, but for the first time, it wasn't fast enough for Tim. He was terrified that Jackson would get to his daughter before he could. The man had a head start on them after all.

"McGee, calm down," Gibbs said, noticing how antsy the younger man is.

"I can't. If Jackson gets there before us, he's gonna have Chloe on a plane back to California," Tim said.

"Then we call the local LEOs and have his ass arrested as soon as the plane touches down. You have custody, remember?" Gibbs asked.

"It's not that simple, Boss. He's good at this. He will avoid the police and find someway to get the order overturned," Tim said.

"No, he won't. You already said your lawyer managed to delay the proceedings and make sure the case is heard here," Gibbs reminded him.

Tim nodded. Thomas had called him and let him know of his success in getting a stay. He'd also managed to get the judge to transfer all proceedings to family court in DC. But he still worried Jackson would find a way around it. "He's sneaky, conniving SOB. I won't underestimate him."

Gibbs looked at him for a second and nodded. It was good McGee didn't underestimate Jackson. Underestimating anyone was a mistake. "Okay, don't underestimate him, but don't believe him unstoppable. He's not getting away with your kid. Now, this thing says we're about a mile out," he said pointing to the GPS.

Tim nodded and took a deep breath, trying to calm down. "This is the closest I've come to getting her back."

"That's scaring you further," Gibbs stated understanding. Of course McGee was more scared now that he seemed to actually stand a chance. He was afraid that the hope he now had would be taken away from him.

"Yeah. I have a chance now and I'm afraid of losing even more," Tim said.

"You're not gonna lose. I won't let you," Gibbs said firmly before making a turn down a suburban street.

Tim couldn't help but laugh. "Boss, I know you can work miracles at times, but you can't guarantee that I'll win."

"You will. I gonna make sure you get your daughter back," Gibbs said. He wouldn't watch while someone he cared for lost his daughter. He knew too well what that was like. No, it wouldn't be the same, but McGee would still lose her, and might not be able to recover the relationship. He had a chance right now. He could repair the damage that the Jackson's did to his relationship with his daughter, but that chance might not be there when she was eighteen. It might be too late by then. Gibbs was determined to make sure that didn't happen.

Things were quiet for a few minutes, then Gibbs pulled up to large two story house.

Tim got out of the car, hearing Henry Jackson's loud and angry voice the second the door was open. "It's Jackson."

Gibbs got out of the car, rushed towards Tim, and pulled him back just as he ran for the door. "Wait! You stay calm. Let me handle it. I promise, we will be leaving with your daughter."

Tim calmed down and nodded. The danger of him losing his daughter was over for the moment. They'd gotten there in time. Now he needed to make sure they got out of there without hurting Chloe. She was a teenager and wouldn't be traumatized, but he still didn't want his daughter caught in a huge fight between him and Jackson. Unfortunately, he wasn't sure how to avoid it.

Gibbs let the way to the door and knocked. The two men waited and were greeted seconds later by a woman with long curly dark hair. Gibbs flashed his badge. "NCIS."

The woman sighed in relief. "I'm glad you're here. I was about to call the police. He's threatening to have us arrested and sued."

"Empty threats. He can do nothing," Gibbs said before he and Tim made their way inside. They followed Jackson's screams through the small foyer and into the livingroom.

"Sir, you need to back off. I am following directions from the government," a man with light brown hair, that they presumed was Mr. Lee, said. Jackson was in face looking red with anger. There was also a teenage boy with short, dark hair standing just behind his father and a teenage girl on the couch looking irritated, but resigned.

"That is my granddaughter and you will not stop me from leaving with her! I am one of the most powerful lawyers in California. I can make your life hell!" Henry yelled.

"I don't cower to threats, Mr. Jackson, furthermore, yours make it clear to me that the agent I spoke to is correct. I will not aid you in taking someone's kid from them them." Mr. Lee said just as powerfully, but in a lower tone. "I can see very clearly now why your granddaughter ran away from you."

"How dare you?!" Henry exploded.

"Hey, knock it off!" Gibbs yelled getting the attention of the two men, as will as the kids.

The girl, very clear to Gibbs as Chloe McGee, saw her father and pinched the bridge of her news, clearly unhappy with the development.

Henry glared at both men. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to take my daughter home," Tim said firmly.

"You're not taking her anywhere. She's mine!" Henry yelled.

"I don't wanna fight with you, Henry. Chloe doesn't need to be subjected to anymore screaming tonight. Just walk away and let me take her home," Tim said as calmly as he could. He had more than a few choice things he could say with Jackson trying to claim possession over his child, but fighting with this man would only harm her.

"No way in hell! I don't care what Thomas told you! She's coming home with me!" Henry yelled.

Gibbs watched the young girl on the couch. Her hand covered her face as an apparent attempt to disappear from this entire situation. It was clear to Gibbs now why this kid ran. She knew it would come to this. She knew a messy fight would go down and she would be forced either to stay with a man who couldn't care less about her as a person or the father, though it wasn't her fault or his, she didn't know. Either way she felt screwed. He would've run too.

"No, she's not," Tim said calmly before moving to go to his daughter.

Henry grabbed him by the jacket and pushed him away. "You're not getting near her, you pathetic bastard!"

Gibbs Immediately got in the middle and stepped close to Jackson's face. He spoke in a dangerously low tone. "You touch him again and I'll arrest you for assaulting a federal officer." The only thing that stopped him from arresting the bastard now was the kid. She didn't need to watch her grandfather get arrested. She had been through enough. It was also why he didn't lay the floor with the piece of crap for daring to touch one of his. "Now you are going to leave. If you don't, I will arrest you. Get out."

Henry glared at him and then at Tim. "This isn't over. There's a hearing next week. She'll be coming home with me afterwards."

"Not anymore. My lawyer had that hearing postponed and relocated. Wherever this goes to court, it'll be in Washington," Tim said.

Henry glared even more murderously for a second before storming out.

Tim turned to Mr. Lee. "Hi, Timothy McGee. Thank you for standing up to Jackson. I'm sorry for what he put you through."

"I'm Matthew. It's no problem. I'm a father and I would never allow anyone to take away someone's child. This is my wife, Emily and our son, Ryan."

Tim nodded to them, cringing slightly at the boy. He sincerely hoped the kid was not Emily's boyfriend. That wasn't a road he wanted to go down.

Matthew seemed to sense Tim's thoughts on his son. "I've questioned Ryan and he swears nothing happened. He says your daughter just wanted to hide out for a while."

Tim was somewhat relieved to hear that. He would be more so if he knew for a fact that it was true. Teenagers did lie. But he was choosing to believe it for now, as he just wanted to get his daughter home.

Tim went over to his daughter and sat beside her. "Are you okay?"

"Fine," Chloe said simply without even looking at him.

"You wanna try a less drastic tactic next time? You scared the hell out of everyone," Tim lectured slightly.

"Whatever," Chloe said, not really caring.

Tim sighed tiredly and stood up. "Alright, well, let's go. It's late and it's a long drive."

Chloe made no attempt to follow her father's movements.

"Chloe, please don't fight me. We need to go home," Tim said.

Chloe huffed before standing up and grabbing her backpack from the floor. She wordlessly walked passed her father and over to Ryan. "Thanks for helping me, Ryan."

"No problem. Sorry it didn't help," Ryan said before hugging her briefly.

Tim felt a compulsion to break it up when the two kids hugged, but he squashed it. He wanted to avoid a fight right now. He was sure he would have plenty of those in the future.

Once they broke up, Chloe walked out of the room.

Tim thanked the Lees again and followed his daughter. Gibbs was right behind him.


	9. Chapter 9

Tim woke up the next morning on his couch. He'd slept there and let Chloe have his bedroom. He would have to start looking for another apartment soon, as it wasn't big enough for two. He would start that today. Shopping was another thing that had to be done within a day or two. He knew Chloe probably didn't have a lot and Jackson wasn't likely to send her things to him. He would keep them just to spite him.

Tim got up and went to the kitchen to start a pot of coffee. It was going to be a long day and he was going to need caffeine to get through it. Once he started a pot, he opened up the fridge to figure out breakfast. He didn't have much, but he had some eggs and a package of breakfast sausage. It would be enough for today. The grocery store was also in store for today or tomorrow.

Tim grabbed a couple of pans from the drawer under the oven and put them. He started the sausage and then grabbed a bowl from the cabinet to start scrambling the eggs.

Tim was almost through making breakfast when he heard his bedroom door open. He turned to see his daughter come into view a second. "Morning."

Chloe didn't say anything as she walked past him.

"We've got eggs and sausage for breakfast. It's almost ready," Tim said.

"Whatever," she said before sitting down on the table and playing around on her phone.

Tim sighed. He had his work cut out for him right now, and not just with Jackson. Chloe was not going to accept him anytime soon. She couldn't stand him, thanks to her mother and grandfather and she made that very clear. It was going to take a long time to get through nine years of alienation.

Tim finished breakfast and then piled it all on two plates and grabbed two forks. He then brought it to the table, putting on plate in front of his daughter and the other across from her. He then went back into the kitchen and poured himself a cup of coffee and Chloe a glass of orange juice before going back to the table.

Chloe picked up her fork and started eating, making sure to avoid all eye contact with her father. She was pretty much ignoring the fact that he was even there.

The two ate in silence for a minute. Finally Tim spoke. "Listen, I'm really sorry about your mom.

Chloe looked up sharply and glared at her father. "No, you're not! You hated her!" She was pissed that her father would bring up her mother. Her parents had hated each other most of their lives. She'd hear them fight when her father came to visit and her mother made it clear that she hated him. She would even take it out of her sometimes. She didn't do anything physically, but she would badmouth him all the time and remind her of all the ways they were alike. It played a large role in why she hated her father. If he hadn't done whatever he did to her mother, her life would've been much better. She really didn't know what went on between them, but she knew it was his fault.

Tim wanted to deny that, but it would be a lie and he didn't wanna lie to his daughter. He did hate Lauren, not so much that he wanted her dead, but he couldn't stand her or her father. He couldn't really be expected to feel any way else. She'd taken his daughter from him and taken great pleasure in turning her against him. He'd see that smug look on her face every time he showed up to see Chloe. "I'm sorry for you. I know you loved her and you're in pain with her gone. I really am sorry. I'm also sorry that I wasn't around to help you through it until now. I didn't know until after you ran away."

Chloe shrugged. "I didn't need your help anyway."

A pain shot through Tim when she said that, though he wasn't surprised. He'd gotten a similar answer when he tried to explain why he'd missed his last visitation. She didn't care that he wasn't around. He meant nothing to her. "Well, I'm gonna be here from now on anyway."

"Yeah, I'm sure that will last," Chloe said sarcastically. She knew her grandfather was going to do whatever it took to get her back, and he usually won. She really wasn't sure she wanted that. She hated her father, but she didn't really feel much better about her grandfather. He was a control freak and a serious asshole who didn't give a damn about her. Fighting her father was about winning and beating someone he considered less than him. He'd never really shown much interest in her at all. He barely acknowledged her existence, and when her mom died, he pretty much told her to get over it. That was why she ran. She knew that these two men were about to fight over her like she was their favorite toy. She wanted no part of that, so she left.

Before Tim could say anything else, there was a knock at the door. Tim got up and answered it. He found his lawyer there and immediately walked outside. "Hi. What's going on?"

"Hey, McGee. I wish I could give you time to get adjusted to having custody of your daughter, but we need to make sure you keep it first," Thomas said.

"What did Jackson do?" Tim asked nervously.

"He's petitioned for temporary custody. He of course attempted to keep us from finding out about it, but I anticipated the attempt. I have a few friends in family court and asked them to alert me," Thomas said.

"When is this hearing?" Tim asked.

"This afternoon at three. Listen, I don't wanna lie. You've spent very little time with your daughter. There is a good chance that a judge will go against you for that fact alone," Thomas said.

"What do I do?" Tim asked with some fear in his voice.

"I'm gonna make the best argument I can for you. That is all we can do at this point. One point I will make is that Chloe ran away, indicating that she didn't want to live with him. Is there any chance your daughter would confirm that. Any chance she'd want to stay with you?" Thomas asked.

Tim shook his head. Jackson made it his life's mission to turn her against me. She hates me."

"Maybe she hates him more though. I've known Henry for a long time. He's not exactly likeable," Thomas said.

"It doesn't matter. I'm not gonna use my kid that way. I will do whatever else it takes to win. I will play Jackson's game and play dirty, but I will not cause Chloe further pain. I won't put her in the middle," Tim said firmly.

"Henry will. He is going to use her hate for you to beat you," Thomas warned.

"I know. What if we lose this hearing?" Tim asked.

"I'll petition the court to order Henry to stay in DC and to give you substantial visitation. Given that this judge is not bought off and you have good standing here as a federal agent, I don't think it'll be a problem. But we're going to try to make sure you retain custody," Thomas said.

"Okay. Thanks for coming," Tim said.

"Yeah. I'll see you in a few hours," Thomas said.

"I'll be there," Tim said. He would have to call Sarah or something to stay with Chloe. HIs daughter was at an age that she could be left alone, but after spending days looking for her, he didn't trust that she wouldn't run again, so he'd feel better if someone was there.

Thomas nodded and walked away.

Tim stood there for a minute, trying to calm his nerves and then walked back inside.


	10. Chapter 10

Tim opened his front door and found Sarah there. He'd called her to come stay with Chloe during his hearing for her temporary custody. He wasn't entirely certain it was the best idea. Sarah and Chloe were very much alike. They both had big attitude's and little filters. It might not go over well. However, it was his only choice. Well, he could've asked one of the team, but they were strangers to Chloe. Sarah was too mostly, but they were family and he'd talked about her a lot with his daughter. "Hey. Thanks for coming."

Sarah pushed her way inside. "I can't believe you didn't tell me what was going on until now."

"It's been a rough couple of days, Sarah. My daughter disappeared. I was focussed on finding her," Tim said as he closed the door.

"Where is she?" Sarah asked as she looked around.

"In my bedroom. Listen, she's not thrilled to be here and she's probably going to make that clear. Please try not to fight with her," Tim requested.

"You think I'd fight with a fifteen-year-old. I'm not that childish," Sarah said.

"You have a mouth, Sarah, so does she. She's actually more like you than anyone else in this family. I don't want you to butt heads," Tim said.

Sarah rolled her eyes. "Go keep custody. Everything will be fine here."

Tim sighed. "Chloe, come out here for a second!"

Chloe came out a few seconds later looking less than thrilled. "What?"

"This is your Aunt Sarah. I have to go out. She's staying with you," Tim said.

Chloe glared at her father. "I don't need someone to stay. I"m fifteen!"

"I don't want to have to search the globe for you again," Tim said simply.

"No one asked you to the first time," Chloe shot at him.

Tim sighed. "Look, Sarah wants to spend time with you anyway. She's heard about you, but she hasn't seen you since you were little. Just let her get to know you a bit," Tim suggested.

Chloe just glared at him in response.

"I'll be back," Tim said before grabbing his keys from the table and walking out of the apartment.

"Sarah put her purse down on the table and took her jacket off and draped it over one of the dining room chairs. She then smiled at her niece. "It's good to see you again. I haven't seen you since you were five. I'm guessing you wouldn't remember that."

"Nope," was all chloe said before going into the living room and plopping down on the couch.

"Didn't think so. I remember very little from when I was five. Your dad's shown me pictures and told me stories about you," Sarah said.

"How would he have stories to tell?" Chloe asked before taking out her phone and messing around on it.

Sarah could tell that her niece was bitter about the fact that she hadn't seen her father much. It told her that her brother wasn't completely accurate when he said his daughter didn't care about seeing him. Oh, she was clearly way pissed and probably did hate his guts to a certain extent, but she missed his presence. "He may not see you much, but he talks about your visits and phone calls."

Chloe snorted. Her father rarely called of visited. She saw him maybe twice a year. This year she didn't even get the second visit. She tried not to care about that. She played it off that way to him to. She told him she hated him and didn't give a damn if he showed up. Part of that was true. She did hate him, but for some reason she didn't even understand herself, it bothered her that he hadn't come. She hated that fact.

"He loves you, Chloe," Sarah said.

"He's an asshole who hurt my mother!" Chloe growled.

"That's not true," Sarah argued. She stopped herself before saying anything else. She wanted to tell her niece about her cruel, manipulative mother, but she knew it wouldn't go over well, and it wouldn't be fair given that the young girl had just lost her mother.

"Yeah, whatever," Chloe said before getting up and heading back to the bedroom.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Tim sat in the courtroom next to his lawyer. The hearing had already begun. Jackson was making his case. He was of course representing himself.

"Your Honor, my granddaughter has spent nearly her entire life with me. That shouldn't change because of the untimely death of her mother. Timothy McGee barely knows her. She should be with me. Not only is it normal, but we can help each other get through this hard time.

Thomas stood up from his seat. "Your Honor, my client is the girl's father. He is entitled to custody of his daughter."

"With all due respect, another judge decided he shouldn't have custody years ago," Henry said.

"That may be true, Mr. Jackson, but that was ten years ago and when the girl's mother was alive. There is no evidence to show Agent McGee is at all unfit. His record is impeccable," the judge said.

"Be that as it may, Your Honor, I still believe it's best for Chloe to return home with me. She knows me much better than her father and would clearly prefer to be with me," Henry said.

"Does she?" Thomas asked. "Your Honor, Chloe McGee ran away from her 'loving' home with her grandfather. I'm not convinced she was all that happy."

"She was obviously worried about the prospect of being forced away from me," Henry said through gritted teeth while glaring at Thomas.

"Maybe that's obvious to you, but not anyone else. For all the court knows, she wanted away from you," Thomas said.

"Alright, enough," the judge interrupted. "This young girl has clearly gone through a lot, having just lost her mother. I do not think a custody battle is in her best interests. However, since the two of you insist, I will have to make a decision. Timothy McGee is the girl's biological father and only parent. He is entitled to custody at this time and he has it. Court's adjourned," the judge said before banging his gavel.

Tim let out a sigh of relief. He had been worried. He really didn't want to send Chloe back to Jackson. That would far from help him get through to her and have a real relationship with her. She shouldn't be with him anyway There was a reason she ran from him.

"I guess judges are a bit harder to buy here, huh, Henry?" Thomas asked as the other man came forward.

"That judge was an idiot and his stupidity won't matter. I will get my granddaughter back. And you will pay going against me, Peter," Henry promised before walking away.

"Thank you," Tim said.

"Don't. This was a small victory. This is going to get harder and a lot more vicious," Thomas warned.

"I know," Tim said before walking towards the exit.


	11. Chapter 11

About a week or so later, Tim had finally found a new apartment for him and his daughter and they were moving in. The team and Sarah were there helping him. Chloe was sitting on a chair in the corner on her cellphone, ignoring everyone.

Soon, Tony and Jimmy came in carrying the sofa. "Where do you want this thing, Probie?" Tony asked.

"Uh, put it against the far wall in the living room," Tim said as he started unpacking boxes in the kitchen.

Gibbs came in with a couple of kitchen chairs under each arm. As soon as he came in, he noticed the teenage girl still sitting in the corner on her phone. He immediately went over to her. "Hey, you wanna help your father unpack?"

"No," Chloe said simply without looking up from her phone.

Everyone who heard roze, including Tim, and it became as quiet as night. No one said no to Gibbs like that without getting murdered.

Gibbs stared at the kid for a minute before reaching down and snatching the phone out of her hand. He knew he was kind of doing McGee's job right now, but he'd watched all day as this kid had either ignored or disrespected McGee and he wouldn't watch it any longer.

Chloe looked in anger and disbelief. "Hey! You can't take my phone!"

"Just did. Help your dad. You'll get this back when we're done," Gibbs said before walking away.

"Your kid has balls, McGee," Tony said before walked out of the apartment to go unload some more things.

Chloe sat their for a minute glaring at everyone before going into the kitchen to help her father.

Tim handed his daughter some plates. "Put them in the cabinet over the sink," Tim said before unpacking the rest of the box. "I'm going out to help the others. Do me a favor and go into you room and try to figure out how you want things arranged when we get to your stuff, he said before walking away.

Tim walked outside to where Gibbs and the majority of the team were pulling things out of the moving truck.

"Hope I didn't overstep," Gibbs said as he started pulling at some boxes," Gibbs said.

"No, Boss, I'm actually grateful. I know I should've done it hours ago. Well, actually days ago," Tim said. His daughter had a major attitude and was extremely disrespectful to pretty much everyone. He knew he should do something about that, but being an actual parent was pretty knew. Since his daughter was five, all he'd been to her was a guy who visited a couple of times a year and spoke to her on the phone once and awhile. He wasn't even sure he had a right to just start lecturing her.

"You're scared to," Gibbs stated.

Tim sighed. "I don't know if I'm scared, Boss. It's more that I almost feel like I don't have a right. She's never really known me, not since she was little. I'm just slightly more than a stranger to her, and one she doesn't really like.

Gibbs put the boxes down and turned to Tony, Ziva, and Palmer, who were gathering some things in the truck and pretending not to listen. "You three, go inside."

"Yes, Boss," Tony said before leading the way out of the truck. The others followed him.

Once they were gone, Gibbs pointed to the truck, motioning for Tim to sit.

Tim took a seat at the end of the truck.

Gibbs sat next to him. "I know a bit of what you mean. I was overseas for about six months when Kelly was six. Wasn't a stranger when I got back, but I did feel like I was out of touch with her. One day she was acting particularly bratty all day. She was disrespectful to Shannon and me and then in the afternoon, she had a tantrum because she didn't get her way. Shannon was pissed because I let her handle the lecture and punishments all day. I told her I wasn't sure I had the right."

"What'd she say?" Tim wondered.

"She smacked me and said that I did and I damn well would because no way was she gonna be the bad guy all the time. Basically, she told me to get over it. It isn't the same, I know but you're that kid's father. You want her to see that, you're gonna have to act like it," Gibbs said.

"I know," Tim said. He did understand that he had to start acting like Chloe's father, for better or worse. He had to stop letting her get away with the way she talked to people. "I know I have to get a backbone with her, Boss. I think a part of it is that I get why she feels the way she does about me. She's barely spent any time with me and she's had her mother and grandfather poisoning her against me."

"Yeah, they screwed her up, and that includes not disciplining her in my opinion," Gibbs said. He'd only been around this kid a couple of times, but she had a huge attitude with everyone and pretty much no respect.

"Yeah, that's probably true. Both Lauren and her father believed that their money and power gave them a license to do as they pleased. I'm sure they taught Chloe the same," Tim said.

"Yeah, well, you've gotta fix it. You can, Tim. It's not too late to teach her how to act and the consequences for screwing up. Honestly, she won't be happy at first, but I think it'll eventually show her how much you care," Gibbs said.

Tim laughed. "You really believe that, Boss."

"Yeah. Your daughter never had anyone to really care about her. I think it's clear that Jackson and even her own mother only saw her as someone to use against you, and deep down, I think even she knows that. At any rate, I think she knows they never really cared that much. I think you need to show her you're different. They didn't care enough to actually take her to task. Prove that you do," Gibbs urged.

Tim nodded and stood up. Gibbs followed suit and the two grabbed some boxes and headed inside. Once they got in the apartment, they saw Tony and Palmer in the kitchen taking a break with a couple of bottles of water. The rest of the team was chatting by the couch and Sarah was going through boxes, as she knew exactly where her brother would want most of his things.

Just then, Chloe came from around the corner by the bedrooms and headed for Tim. "Will you tell that jackass to give me my phone back?"

Tim looked at his daughter for a minute before putting his boxes down and looking at Gibbs. "Give me her phone, Boss."

Gibbs stared for a minute, seemingly trying to figure out what his agent was planning to do, then he reached into his pocket and pulled out the teen's cellphone and handed it to her father.

Chloe reached for her phone as soon as it reached her father's hands, but he held it away and then put it in his pocket. "What the hell? Give it to me!"

"Enough! First of all, don't ever speak of my boss the way you just did," Tim warned.

"Why, are you afraid he'll fire you?" Chloe asked snidely.

"No, because he's a good man who's helped a lot of people, including you, and he deserves respect. Second of all, you will get your phone back at the end of the day if you help us get everything together and you drop the attitude," Tim said firmly. He didn't like speaking this way to his daughter, hell, he didn't like doing it with anyone, but Gibbs was right. He was Chloe's father. She needed to realize that and start respecting him and everyone else around her. "And finally, you watch your language in front of me."

Chloe glared at her father. Who the hell was he to order her around. He barely knew him. She only saw him like twice a year. He had no right to start acting all parental now. "Screw you! What gives you the right to tell me what to do?! You mean nothing to me. In fact, I hate you!"

Tim felt a sharp pain at the fifteen-year-old's words, but to his credit, he didn't let it show He kept his face as stony as he could. "I am your father, that give me the right. And now you won't see your phone until tomorrow night."

Chloe huffed angrily and stormed to her bedroom, slamming the door in the process.

Gibbs clapped his agent on the shoulder. "Nice job, Tim."

"Yeah, nice going, Probie. The kid needed that," Tony said.

"I hated that," Tim said.

"Yeah, that won't change anytime soon. Let's finish getting you moved in," Gibbs said.

Tim nodded and headed out of the apartment to get some more stuff.


End file.
